Men who drink blood: inside the brutal world of Assad's death squads [View all]
It was from the army that Hafez al-Assad emerged to seize power in 1970 and make the Alawites the most politically powerful sect in Syria.
Initially, the Shabiha were a mafia clan, making money through racketeering. The Assads turned a blind eye and the Shabiha became the family's loyal defenders and enforcers.
''They are fuelled by this belief that they are fighting for their survival,'' said Dr Azzawi. ''Assad tells them that they must defend the government or else they will be destroyed; it's kill, or be killed.''
Dr Azzawi, who now runs the Syrian Network for Human Rights from London, showed a video of the Shabiha in action.
An enormous man, identified on the video as Areen al-Assad posed with his gun, grinned from behind the steering wheel of his car, and flexed his muscles. One huge bicep bulged with a tattoo of the President's face. At the end of the video, the militants proclaim: ''Bashar, do not be sad: you have men who drink blood.''
''It is their motto,'' explained Dr Azzawi. ''They are unstoppable.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/men-who-drink-blood-inside-the-brutal-world-of-assads-death-squads-20120603-1zq1v.html#ixzz1wkZYVhJr
= new reply since forum marked as read